FWS elects not to list lizard

SANTA FE — In a landmark decision, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced today that the Dunes Sagebrush (sand dune) lizard will not be listed on the endangered species list.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the much-anticipated decision over the dunes sagebrush lizard was based on the “best available science” and because of voluntary conservation agreements now in place in the two states. … For the rest of the story, subscribe in print and on the web.
“This is a great example of how states and landowners can take early, landscape-level action to protect wildlife habitat before a species is listed under the Endangered Species Act,” Salazar said in a conference call.